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Domain Registration
Spammer Fraud Please ignore domain registration renewal forms that you may receive via postmail (or email for that matter)
from DOMAIN REGISTRY of CANADA and or other Registry agents who try and get you to switch your domain to their registry agency. Responding to spammers encourages them. Here is a press release from The Canadian Federal Competition Bureau:
HEADLINE:
"Internet Registry director
fined for bogus invoice scam"
Ontario man sentenced following
Competition Bureau investigation
OTTAWA, June 30, 2004 - A Toronto man who targeted over 73,000 business and non-profit organizations across Canada with a deceptive mail-out for the renewal of their Internet domain names has been sentenced to a
$40,000 fine and a five-year prohibition order.
The sentence results from an investigation by the Competition Bureau into Mr. Daniel Klemann and Internet Registry of Canada (IROC) under the misleading representations provisions of the
Competition Act.
The deceptive mail piece informed recipients that their Internet domain name registration was about to expire and gave several options for renewal. It was designed to mislead recipients into believing that they were
existing customers of IROC's domain name registration service.
The mail piece also gave the general impression of being an invoice mailed on behalf of a department or agency of the Government of Canada in charge of the registration of
Internet domain names.
According to the terms of the prohibition order, Mr. Klemann and 1480455 Ontario Incorporated, operating as IROC, are prohibited from engaging or participating in any activity involving the making of
representations for the purpose of soliciting business for five years without first obtaining a positive Written Opinion from the Competition Bureau, pursuant to section 124.1 of the Act.
"The Bureau's investigation and the sentence in
this matter shows that the Bureau will vigorously pursue perpetrators of deceptive mail scams that target consumers and businesses in Canada," said Raymond Pierce, Deputy Commissioner, Competition Bureau.
The Bureau suggests that
consumers and businesses take a few steps to protect themselves:
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read their mail carefully;
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verify that any invoices are from regular suppliers;
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make sure the product was ordered before paying any invoice;
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and report any mail that appears to be false or misleading to the Competition Bureau.
Consumers who suspect they have been a victim of deceptive marketing practices are encouraged to contact the Bureau's Information Centre at 1-800-348-5358, or PhoneBusters' National Call Centre at
1-888-495-8501.
The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency which ensures that all Canadians enjoy the benefits of a competitive economy. It oversees the application of the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging
and Labelling Act, the Textile Labelling Act and the Precious Metals Marking Act. SOURCE: www.competitionbureau.gc.ca And
here is a warning from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) "CIRA WARNS DOT-CA DOMAIN NAME HOLDERS
OF MISLEADING VERIFICATION NOTICES"
Protect your domain name. Do not share your CIRA
User Account Number or Password with anyone!
Ottawa, December 13, 2004 - The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is advising dot-ca domain registrants (holders of dot-ca domain names) NOT TO RESPOND OR REPLY TO ANY EMAILS
requesting verification of CIRA User Account Numbers and Passwords.
CIRA has learned that an unknown party is attempting to obtain CIRA User Account Numbers and Passwords from dot-ca registrants by sending MISLEADING EMAIL NOTICES that
appear to originate from CIRA.
These misleading emails request that CIRA User Account Numbers and Passwords be provided to validate registrant information and prevent domain name suspension (inactivation). The emails originate from
COMPLIANCE@CIRA.CC. CIRA’s compliance email address is COMPLIANCE@CIRA.CA.
If you have replied to an email requesting your CIRA User Account Number and Password, and have included your CIRA User Account Number and Password in your
reply, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR REGISTRAR IMMEDIATELY to request a new CIRA User Account Number and Password. If you do not know the name of your registrar, you may obtain it by entering your dot-ca domain name in the WHOIS field at http://whois.cira.ca/public
If you have received an email requesting your CIRA User Account Number and Password, please forward a copy of the email to security-advisory@cira.ca Your cooperation with this matter will help CIRA estimate the number of misleading
notices that have been sent to unsuspecting dot-ca domain name holders.
Similar fraudulent email schemes (labeled as “phishing” or “spoofing”) designed to obtain credit card numbers and Internet banking passwords have been reported by
financial institutions since 2002.
CIRA User Account Numbers and Passwords are critical to the security of dot-ca domain names because they are needed to manage (e.g. renew, transfer, update, etc.) dot-ca domain names. CIRA does not
request, and has never requested, that registrants provide CIRA User Account Numbers and Passwords by email to validate registrant information.
CIRA has reported this matter to law enforcement agencies and will continue to inform
dot-ca registrants of related developments. Those seeking additional information are invited to call CIRA’s Customer Support Unit at 1-877-860-1411 (8:00 to 20:00 Eastern, Monday to Friday).
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